


New Start

by softkent (SalazarTipton)



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Dialogue Heavy, Epikegster, Getting Back Together, M/M, Morning After, Probably ooc, parse positive, soft and fluffy start, swoops mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-10
Updated: 2016-10-10
Packaged: 2018-08-20 13:06:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8250133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SalazarTipton/pseuds/softkent
Summary: The morning after falling into bed together during Epikegster, Jack wakes up in Kent's arms.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So I don't know how this happened. I just wanted some pimms and wrote without thinking. Hope it makes sense!

Usually, about a half an hour before his first alarm for his morning run, Jack slowly blinks into the near-dawn shadows of his room. He would stretch himself out across his bed before getting up to brush his teeth. He’s had this morning routine for years now. 

  


Today, however, Jack blinks, trying to focus his eyes when he feels the arm around his middle, holding him close. With an easy smile, he remembers last night: the Epikegster, as everyone had called it. He pulls a hand free from under his pillow to trace the back of Kent’s hand. 

  


Jack gently presses himself back, feeling Kent’s chest against his back, almost too-warm. He always was like a walking, talking space heater, Jack recalls. He carefully intertwines his fingers with Kent’s making sure not to wake him. He could miss his morning run. One day wasn’t going to kill him.

  


Kent nuzzles against the back of his neck and flexes his fingers before squeezing Jack’s hand. He swears he can feel Kent’s grin against his neck. Neither of them say anything, nor move to get up. They just lay there smiling like idiots.

  


They listen to the Haus waking up. There’s a thud from above them--maybe Ransom rolling out of bed, Jack thinks. There’s some distant sounds from the kitchen. Soon they can smell coffee and pancakes? Maybe waffles?

  


Jack’s alarm sounds from the nightstand next to Kent, who groans. He dislodges himself from Jack to flip over and get his phone. Once in hand, he returns to their previous position. Jack pulls his phone from Kent’s loose grip and shuts off the steadily increasing blaring. 

  


After he tosses his phone on the other nightstand, Jack turns onto his other side propped up on his elbow, facing Kent. His hair was pillow-mussed with his cowlick intact--hair going in so many directions over his forehead. His eyes were a light grey for the time being with pupils wide, looking into Jack’s eyes. 

  


God, Jack hadn’t realized there had been a hole in his chest from missing this sight. His chest is tight with all the feelings flooding into the forefront of his mind. From years of both hating and missing this. He feels the familiar burning of his eyes. He really does try to stop the tears. 

  


Kent gives him a small smile as his own eyes start to well up. He brushes away some of the tears streaming silently down Jack’s cheek with the pad of his thumb. Jack turns slightly to press a gentle kiss to it. That’s when Kent’s tears spill over. Jack smiles at him, which he returns. 

  


Jack cups his face, leans down and presses a kiss into Kent’s hair, then to his forehead, his nose, and then his lips. Kent tries to kiss him back, but can’t seem to wipe the grin off his face making Jack grin right back. They press their foreheads together, just grinning. 

  


Soon enough, Jack’s head is resting on Kent’s chest. He’s surrounded in his warmth. Kent traces the line of Jack’s spine and watches the room slowly get lighter as the sun rises. Jack tilts his head to look at Kent’s neck. He pressed a finger to a light bruise Jack left on his collar bone last night. 

  


They both jump when there’s a pounding on the wall of the stairs. “Post-kegster pancakes!” Shitty yells up. 

  


Kent presses a kiss to the top of his head. “How do you wanna do this?” he whispers into his hair.

  


“You can stay.”He sits up to look at Kent. “Have breakfast ‘n coffee before you leave.”

  


Jack rubs a hand over Kent’s chest for a moment. “And you can borrow some of my clothes, unless you want my team to see you naked.”

  


Kent laughs. “I do love seeing you blush and I know you love me in your clothes...but imagine me explaining all these hick--”

  


He cuts off when Jack faux smothers him with his pillow. 

  


After distracting each other while they try to get dressed, they make it downstairs both wearing sweats and tshirts. Kent quirked an eyebrow when Jack handed him an Aces shirt with his number and name on the back, but didn’t say a word as he pulled it on. It was a size or so too big for him. 

  


Bitty was setting a plate stacked high with pancakes on the kitchen table for Ransom and Holster when Jack stepped into the doorway.  

  


“Next round ‘ill be done in a few minutes,” Bitty says as he turns back to the stove.

  


“Yo, Jack, you missed a hell of a time!” Ransom says between bites.

  


“Yeah, you shoulda seen Lardo at flip cup,” Holster added.

  


“She wiped the floor with Parson.”

  


“He was always terrible at drinking games,” Jack chirps as he takes two mugs out the cupboard. 

  


“We can’t all have your skill, Zimms,” Kent says. He steps into the room just enough to lean against the wall.

  


Ransom and Holster both pause mid bite to look at him. Bitty stops with a pancake on his spatula about to be flipped. Jack just pours their coffee, stirs some sugar into Kent’s before handing it over to him. 

  


“Thought you went back last night, brah,” Shitty says to Kent when he walks in the door. 

  


“Drinking and driving and all that,” Kent says with a shrug. He takes his phone out of his pocket to turn it back on while taking a swig of coffee. He could feel everyone’s eyes on him.

  


Jack clears his throat and the room fills with movement again. Everyone at the table eating. Bitty at the stove. Shitty getting himself a plate. And Jack, walking back over to Kent. 

  


Once his phone is back up and running, it chimes off for a solid minute. Kent sighs at it.

  


“Forget to tell them where you went?” Jack asks.

  


“More like my A is panicking. It’s just team breakfast. There isn’t even anything to handle,” Kent explains while he types quickly with one hand and drinks more of his coffee.

  


“Shouldn’t you be there?” Ransom asks. “I just mean, you’re the captain. Aren’t you, like, required to be there?”

  


“They’ll survive,” Kent replies with a wink. “It’s not like I just fucked off. Coaches know I’m catchin’ my own flight back. Jeff just needs to chill.” He holds his phone up to his ear and walks out. 

  


They all ate while trying to ignore the snippets of Kent’s conversation that were travelling in from the living room. 

  


“...Swoops, you don’t even have to do anything...personal, leave it be, dude...fuck you too...I take up, like, half the cap space for the team and you think I can’t afford a damn plane ticket...see you back in Vegas...yes, you have to go to the optional skate…”

  


Bitty hands out more pancakes while Shitty regales some of the highlights from the Epikegster from his perch on the counter. 

  


“I think that was the best kegster this Haus has ever seen,” Shitty says with a tight throat.

  


“Y’all should see the hashtag,” Bitty chimes in when he sits down to eat. “There must have three hundred people here at some point or another.”

  


“That’ll happen when there’s free booze and a celebrity or two,” Shitty says with an elbow to Jack’s side. He glares at him before grabbing the maple syrup. 

  


“We need a bigger table,” Holster says when he almost knocks over his coffee.

  


“Nah, man. This is cozy,” Ransom retorts. Holster just rolls his eyes. 

  


“When are the frogs coming over to help with cleanup?” Jack asks. 

  


“Well, Chowder was passed out on the couch last I knew,” Holster offers and everyone rolls their eyes when Bitty shudders.

  


Kent steps back in the room, draining the last of his coffee from his mug and no phone in sight. Jack reaches out to take his mug to refill it. Kent gives him a look before moving past him to pour his own coffee.

  


“There’s plenty if you want some,” Bitty offers, “though I don’t know what you’re diet plan allows.”

  


Kent and Jack both laugh. “I don’t think I’ve ever fully followed any of my diet plans,” Kent says while smiling at Jack. He reaches toward the sugar, but Jack grabs it before he can.

  


“You know, maybe you shouldn’t have so much sugar. You’re the King of the Aces. Can’t have you burning out because of poor nutrition. Maybe you shouldn’t have pancakes either,” Jack teases. He holds the sugar out of Kent’s reach.

  


The Haus-mates just watch as Kent tries to manoeuvre around Jack to get the sugar bowl. Bitty doesn’t think he’s ever heard Jack talk so much or so freely. He knows he’s never seen him smile so much.

  


“Careful. That much smiling,” Kent shakes his head as he tried to reach up again. “You’re gunna pull a muscle or something.”

  


“You’re one to talk, Kenny.” Jack lowers his arm a little, but pulls it out of reach once Kent reaches up again. He huffs at him. Jack tries not to double over laughing at the expression on his face.  Everyone is smiling and laughing aside from Kent. 

  


“I will climb you, Zimms, or worse.” 

  


“Worse?” Holster asks once he gets the breath. 

  


“Kenny…” Jack says cautiously. 

  


A smirk appears on Kent’s face before his fingers are on Jack’s sides, tickling him. Jack drops his arms down to double over and protect his sides. Kent pulls away to catch the sugar before Jack spills it. 

  


“Ha!” He yells triumphant and goes to finish making his coffee. Jack straightens up and sends him a death glare, but the heat behind it melts away when he notices that his shirt shifted to the side, showing his collarbone and that little mark Jack had just a good time making last night.

  


“Jack Zimmermann!” Shitty says. “How the hell didn’t  _ I _ know that you’re ticklish?” He sounds scandalized. 

  


Jack is thankful when Chowder walks in, taking the attention off of him, though Chowder doesn’t look right. His carefree smile is nowhere to be seen. He looks like he’s about to faint.

  


“Uh, th-thank you,” Chowder says, holding a phone out to Kent. “I don’t know how to--”

  


“Don’t worry about it, man,” Kent says with  _ that smirk _ already in place. He pockets his phone. “Next time I see ‘em I’ll have them sign something for you, alright?”

  


Everyone is looking at Kent quizzically. He runs a hand through his hair, clearly becoming uncomfortable. 

  


“Who were you talking to?” Ransom asks.

  


“Niemi,” Chowder whispers.

  


“As in..”

  


“As in the Sharks goalie, Antti Niemi.”

  


Kent ducks his head into his mug. He looks as if he wishes the floor would swallow him whole. Jack gives him a little hip check before going back to his nearly cold pancakes. Everyone seems to understand to let it go. 

  


Ransom and Holster get up to put their dishes in the sink, thanking Bitty for the food. Chowder grabs some pancakes for himself and takes one of their empty spots. Shitty hops off the counter and puts his plate in the sink. 

  


Kent finally gets his own plate for some pancakes and joins them at the table. He smiles as he pouring syrup on them because he feels Jack’s hand on his thigh, giving it a little squeeze. 

  


“So, what are your majors?” Kent asks Chowder and Bitty. 

  


“American Studies with a concentration in food culture,” Bitty says.

  


“Undecided for now. Just trying to get a feel for everything before I choose,” Chowder explains over his glass of orange juice. 

  


Kent is a little relieved once he and Jack are back upstairs, shutting Jack’s door behind them. He melts when Jack winds his arms around him. 

  


“You didn’t have to do that for Chowder, you know,” Jack says into his hair. 

  


“I’m surprised the kid didn’t faint.” Kent leans his head back against Jack’s shoulder.

  


“That was really sweet of you.”

  


“Careful, you’re gunna ruin my reputation.”

  


Kent spins around to face Jack and wraps his arms around his neck. Jack bends down and kisses him soft. 

  


Neither of them can remember any time in all their history that they had been so soft together. Back then everything was heated and fast. Now? Waking up crying tears of joy and holding each other? This was new. 

  


“When are you leaving?” Jack whispers against Kent’s lips.

  


“Like eight tonight,” Kent whispers back. He rocks back on his heels to look at Jack properly. “Are we really doing this?”

  


Jack straightens up before guiding them to sit on his bed. “I want to. Do you?”

  


“Jack,” Kent breathes out, “you know I do. I miss you so much. I miss us, but it can’t be like last time.”

  


“Yeah. We’ve both changed--grown up. I think that’s for the better, don’t you?” Jack asks as he picks up Kent’s hand to press to his lips. 

  


He nods. “Yeah, but I mean...the distance? We both know you’re not coming to Vegas. You can’t do the heat and I’m not leaving my team unless I’m traded.”

  


“I-I know I’ve been an ass,” Jack starts. Kent rolls his eyes. “But I’m willing to make this work. I need you in my life, Kenny. I just...I need you.”

  


“Well, that’s good since I need you, too.”

  


Kent leans back against the pillows, dragging Jack with him. Their legs intertwine. 

  


“So, we’re doing this,” Jack states as he runs a hand through Kent’s hair. Kent smiles at him.

  


“I guess so.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know what you think in the comments (and kudos are greatly appreciated).  
> Feel free to come talk to me on my omgcp sideblog on [tumblr](http://softkent.tumblr.com).


End file.
